Politics, Legal & Regulation

August 28, 2020 @ 8:03 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Central Bank (ECB), the reserve bank of the Eurozone, which is a monetary union of 19 EU member states which employ the Euro, has noted that there doesn’t seem to be an EU challenger that’s capable of matching the capabilities of Big Tech… Read More

August 27, 2020 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The district court of Munich has opened the insolvency proceedings regarding the assets of Wirecard (WDI:DE), which were applied for on June 25, 2020, according to a note from the company. The current preliminary insolvency administrator Dr. jur. Michael Jaffé from the law firm JAFFÉ Rechtsanwälte… Read More

August 26, 2020 @ 11:03 am By JD Alois  |  

As widely anticipated, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) updated the definition of an Accredited Investor expanding the rule by adding certain sophistication criteria. The current definition defines an individual who earns over $200,000 a year ($300,000 if married) as accredited. If an individual has… Read More

August 25, 2020 @ 6:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Aave protocol, an open-source and non-custodial DeFi protocol to earn interest on digital asset deposits while also being able to borrow assets, has been awarded an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license by the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Aave Ltd received… Read More

August 25, 2020 @ 5:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

It should be obvious to most everyone that the current definition of an Accredited Investor not only disenfranchises the vast majority of the population it is not really an effective proxy to evaluate an individual’s ability to assess risk and the opportunity affiliated with private… Read More

August 25, 2020 @ 12:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tomorrow, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will reveal any changes to Regulation S-K. A proposal by the Commission was introduced in 2019. According to the meeting notice, the Commission will consider: “whether to adopt amendments to modernize the description of business, legal proceedings, and… Read More

August 25, 2020 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), a global financial institution owned by reserve banks that aims to support international monetary and financial cooperation and acts as a bank for central banks, has noted that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are now “in the limelight.” However,… Read More

August 24, 2020 @ 11:26 am By JD Alois  |  

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a law firm that is active in the Fintech sector, has announced several new hires to boost its Fintech practice. According to a note from the firm, corporate partner Marc Boiron and litigation partner Rebecca Rettig have joined Manatt’s financial services… Read More

August 24, 2020 @ 8:46 am By JD Alois  |  

The Cyberpolice of Ukraine reports that it has exposed a criminal group that laundered approximately $42 million in cryptocurrency. Last week, the law enforcement agency posted that three individuals have been accused of the crime and now face up to 8 years in jail. According… Read More

August 23, 2020 @ 7:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

Later this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will update the definition of an Accredited Investor – a rule that has been in place for decades. An open meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, 2020. The current rule allows individuals… Read More

August 22, 2020 @ 6:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Reserve Bank of Australia, Payments System Board, recently held a meeting to review several issues including the issuance of Central Bank Digital Currency (CDBC). The Bank noted that the Australian payments system has performed well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cash during COVID has become… Read More

August 21, 2020 @ 3:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scheduled an open meeting of the Commission to address several regulatory issues including an update to the current definition of an Accredited Investor. Regarding the Accredited Investor definition the SEC states it will consider: “whether to adopt amendments… Read More

August 20, 2020 @ 11:41 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Malaysian Fintech firms are regulated according to the requirements provided by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the nation’s central bank. Suhaimi Bin Ali, director of the Financial Development and Innovation Department at BNM, explained (during the introduction of the Fintech Booster program earlier this month): “We… Read More

August 20, 2020 @ 4:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ravi Menon, the Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), recently delivered a speech on “Powering the next stage of Singapore Fintech” at the Singapore Fintech Festival Just five years ago, the country’s leaders had a vision that focused on making Singapore a… Read More

August 19, 2020 @ 10:33 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

An “investor revolt” and legal dispute might further delay the launch of Filecoin, a highly-anticipated cryptocurrency project that broke the all-time record of capital raised via controversial initial coin offerings (ICOs) when it secured $257 million+ by September 2017. (Filecoin’s record was later shattered by… Read More

August 19, 2020 @ 2:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) reports that its COVID-19 Enforcement Task Force, has taken actions against 220 scams allegedly seeking to profit from the pandemic. These actions include including administrative actions, cease-and-desist orders, referrals to other regulators, and to social media and hosting… Read More

August 19, 2020 @ 10:43 am By JD Alois  |  

Paragon Coin, and its affiliated initial coin offering, is pretty emblematic of the ICO heyday when any token could raise money based largely on a white-paper and effective marketing campaign. While it is hard to accurately discern, Paragon issued the PRG token raising around $12… Read More

August 17, 2020 @ 4:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week, it was announced that Israel has established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a ground-breaking shift in foreign relations for a volatile region. The deal was announced by President Trump, Israel, and the UAE that the countries have agreed to… Read More

August 17, 2020 @ 2:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

Brendan Ross, the former CEO and founder of Direct Lending Investments (DLI), is the target of a Civil Enforcement Action filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week. Direct Lending Investments was once a prominent participant in the online lending industry in the… Read More

August 17, 2020 @ 12:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that Caroline A. Crenshaw and Hester M. Peirce have been sworn into office as SEC commissioners. Commissioner Peirce is commencing her second term as a Commissioner while Commissioner Crenshaw is beginning her first. Commissioner Crenshaw fills a… Read More